Rhythm operated device



y 94 G. G. SMITH 2,242,442

RHYTHM OPERATED DEVICE Filed Aug. 31, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 65mm? 6, 5/1/7771 May 20, 1941. I H 2,242,442,

RHYTHM OPERATED DEVICE Filed Aug. 51, 19:59 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

6.50910 6 JM/rfi.

ATT RNEYJ,

Patented May 20, 1941 RHYTHM OPERATED DEVICE Gerald G. Smith, Kenmore, N. Y., assignor to The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Cincinnati, Ohio,

a corporation Application August 31, 1939, Serial No. 292,900

Glaims.

This invention relates to rhythm operated devices with particular reference to apparatus operated by the rhythm of music as recorded on phonograph records.

More particularly this invention relates to a device for selecting rhythmic sounds as they are reproduced from a record and converting them into power to control or initiate the movements of marionettes, advertising displays, changes of illumination and other visible apparatus.

The invention as herein disclosed selects from among the audible vibrations recorded on a phonograph disc those which occur rhythmically, amplifies them, converts them into surges of electrical energy synchronized with the selected vibrations and transmits said surges to apparatus devised to convert them into mechanical movement.

In the present invention the surges are utilized to energize electro-magnets which operate rods for the movable support of jointed marionettes to agitate them, causing them to simulate dancers; to revolve cams, gears, levers and the like to close and open switches which illuminate and extinguish lamps, cause the shifting of stages, scenery, signs, pictures or other visible objects.

It is well known to me that many devices exist for the conversion of audible Vibrations into power to cause mechanical movement, but to the best of my information, no device has so far been created that has selectivity for rhythmic sounds; neither does any known to me take the electrical impulses generated in a pickup by the recordings of said sounds, amplify them and convert them into electrical energy and mechanical movement in the manner disclosed herein.

One object of the invention is to provide apparatus adapted to cause rhythmic movements of such objects in timed relation with music reproduced by a phonograph.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus adapted to control lighting efi'ects or scene changes timed with the operation of a phonograph record.

Other objects and features of the invention will be understood from the accompanyin drawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of apparatus adapted for the operation of dancing marionettes. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevational view of one side of a control unit used for operation of light changes, scene changes or other electrically controlled mechanical movements. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the opposite side of said control unit. Fig. 5 is a similar view of a structure which may be used alternatively to that shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a diagram of electrical connections by means of which the control unit of Fig. 4 may control certain lighting effects. Fig. 7 is a similar diagram for use with the control unit of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a diagram of electrical connections for. the operation of either of said control units and the apparatus' of Figs. 1 and 2 from a phonograph.

In the preferred form of the invention shown in the drawings, referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, a stage I supports a shelf 2 and. is provided with feet 3 for support and attachment to a phonograph cabinet or other foundation. Suitably attached to the under side of shelf 2 there are a plurality of electromagnets 4 of well known construction, each of which is furnished with a core 5 slidable longitudinally in the axial orifice thereof. In each solenoid the core 5 is made of magnetic material, preferably iron, and is in the form of a cylinder with a coaxial integral threaded neck portion 6 which protrudes upwardly through a suitable opening provided therefor in shelf 2. At its lower extremity core 5 has a tapped axial hole into which is inserted an ordinary iron screw 1 for the support of a washer 8 which in turn holds a buffer 9 of elastic material such as rubber snugly against the lower end of core 5 with its edge protruding circumferentially in such manner as to come into circular contact with the lower end of solenoid 4 when core 5 is raised by the magnetic action of the solenoid. A similar buffer l0 surrounds the threaded neck 6 to cushion the fall of core 5 by contact with the upper surface of shelf 2. A washer ll stiffens buffer Ill and is held in place by a nut I2 screwed to neck 6. Raising or lowering nut l2 regulates the amount of rise of core 5.

A wire or rod 14 passes through an opening 15 in stage I and extends substantially perpendicularly to said stage a distance suitable for the support of a marionette of desired size. At a point between stage I and shelf 2 the wire i4 is bent into a horizontal loop I6 which fits snugly around neck 5 and is secured thereto by nut 13. The lower end ll of rod l4 extends horizontally from loop [6 a short distance and is then bent at substantially a right angle into. a tailpiece l8 extending downwardly through a suitable perforation provided for it in shelf 2. The purpose of tailpiece I8 is to prevent rod l4 and core 5 from revolving about their common vertical axis, thus presenting the wrong or unfinished side of a flat marionette to the observer. In the case of use of a marionette in the round, the omission of tailpiece l8 permits such revolution and permits the marionette to present a. more lifelike appearance by turning about as it simulates a. dance.

As core rises and falls under the influence of the magnetic field with a rhythmically controlled energ'ization and de-energization of solonoid 4, the rod l4 rises and falls therewith rhythmically in time to the music emanating from the phonograph and thereby imparts motion to a marionette attached to it. the apparatus may be invertedor by the addition of springs, weights, levers and the like, be

' crumed on shaft '20 is a lever 30 having a broad lower end 29 to which pawl 24 is pivoted at 3|. Pawl 24 has a tail 25 from which protrudes an anchor pin' 26 to hold one end' of a coil spring 21 which is anchored at .its opposite end to a similar pin 28 protruding from lever 30. A similar pin" 32 serves as a stop for the tail 25 of pawl 24 to limit its motion under the pull of spring 21.

At its upper'end lever is perforated to provide anchorage for a tension spring 33 which is anchored at its opposite end to a pin 34 protruding from the face of frame plate [9. The end 29of lever 38 bears a shoulder screw 35 providing a pivot for one end of a link 36 which is pivotedat its opposite end by a similar shoulder screw31 to the core 38 of a solenoid 39. The

latter, of common construction, is held in a frame 40' which" is mounted on plate l9 by means of lugs 4| and screws 42."

' Screws 43 and 44, Fig. 4, hold opposite ends of spacers (not shown) which separate frame plate I 9 and a switchboard 45, made of insulating material such as'Bakelite, by a distance sufficient to accommodate the necessary wiring of switchboard 45. Said switchboard is penetrated by' the shaft 20 to which a wiper arm 46 is attached by means of a hub 41 and a set screw 48. Arranged'in circles on switchboard 45 and concentric with shaft -20 and in the path of wiper arm 46 are pairs of contact members 49. Said contacts have attached to them in'well known manner wires which are collected into a cable 50, thence to connecting strips 52, thence to resistors 5|, thence to connector strip 54, thence to the lamps or other electrical apparatus shown in Fig. 6.

-In the operation of the control unit just described, as'solenoid 39 is energized lever 30 is drawn into'the position shown in Fig. 3, which extends spring 33 and advances ratchet wheel 23 one tooth. De-energization of solenoid 39 allows spring 33 todraw the upper end of lever 30 against a stop pin 55. Pawl 24 thereupon rises over a tooth and spring 21 expands. As the lat- It is obvious that bridging them and closing electric circuits through them and connected conductors.

Referring now to Fig. 6, the wiper arm 46 is connected to one terminalof a power supply, the opposite terminal of which is connected to a plurality of lamps 56. Lamps 56, contact members 49 and resistors 5| are connected together as shown in the diagram in such manner that each lamp is lighted with gradually increasing brilliance and then is gradually extinguished as the wiper arm 46 progressively engages the contact members 49. The circuits by which this result is accomplished will be obvious from an inspection of the diagram and need not be described in detail. The operation of the lamps is in timed relation to the operations of solenoid 39 and they may be located to give desired lighting effects to the stage Of course the particular circuits shown in the drawings are purely illustrative. Variations in lighting effects may be made by obvious variations in the circuits.

Referring now to Fig. 8 in which there is shown a wiring diagram for operation of the mechanical parts already described, there are indicated by name the volume and tone control unit, standard amplification unit and the speaker of a phonograph which may be of the usual construction. A pickup 51 is also shown and is preferably the usual magnetic pickup operated by a stylus travelling in the sound grooves of the records and is connected in the usual manner to the volume and tone control unit of the phonograph. A plate current lead 58 and a. pair of filament current supply leads 59 are connected to the phonograph amplifier at suitable points in its circuits to supply plate voltage and filament current respectively to a plurality of electron discharge tubes 60, 6|, 62 and 63. The electrical circuits by which said tubes are interconnected include resistance units numbered 64 to 15, inclusive, and condensers numbered from 16 to 82, inclusive.

The tube 60 operates as an amplifier tube having the usual input and output circuits in which the resistors 65, 66 and 61 have their usual functions. The input circuit of said tube is connected to the pickup 51 and receives a portion of the energy therefrom. The output circuit of tube 60 is coupled to the input circuit of tube 62 by means of the condenser 16. The tube 62 is herein shown as a standard form pentode amplifier tube in the circuits of which the resistors 68, 69 and '10 and condensers 18 and 79 perform their usual function. The resistor 64 and the condenser 11 interposed in the input circuit of tube 62 serve as an interstage filter having a rising characteristic below a predetermined frequency, preferably in the neighborhood of 500 cycles per second.

The tube 6| is connected as a half wave rectifier and is adapted to supply asubstantially continuous current through a rectifier circuit leading from the cathode. of said tube through resistors 13 and 12 to the anode thereof. A condenser 80 is connected in parallel with the resistor 13 and said circuit is coupled by means of condenser 82 to the output circuit of tube 62.

By this means the flow of current in the rectifier circuit is controlled by the output of tube 62. The tube 63 is an amplifier tube of large current carrying capacity in the circuits of which the resistors 14 and 15 perform their usual functions. The input circuit of the tube 63 is connected to a point in the rectifier circuit'between the resistor 13 and the cathode of tube 6|. The

output circuit of tube 63 includes a relay coil 83 adapted to operate an electric switch 84. Said switch is connected in circuit with the solenoids 4 and 39 which operate the mechanical movements of the marionettes and the control movement for lighting effects as previously described.

In constructing the circuits just described, satisfactory operation is obtained when tubes commercially designated as type 608 are used for tubes 6i! and 6!, type 606 is used for tube 62, type '79 is used for tube 63 and the resistors and condensers have the following ratings:

The foregoing figures are given for illustrative purposes only since other combinations giving good results are possible.

In the operation of the circuits of Fig. 8, energy received from the pickup is amplified by tubes 60 and 62. The provision of the interstage filter consisting of the resistor 64 and condenser ll provides for greatly increased amplification of frequencies below 500 cycles, the lower the frequency, the greater the amplification. In the absence of frequencies below 500 cycles, little or no alternating current flows in the circuit of tube 62 and the rectified current in the circuit of tube is correspondingly small. The rectified current impresses some charge on condenser 80 but the leakoff through resistance 13 is sufiicient to prevent an appreciable increase in voltage across said condenser. When lower frequency impulses are received by tube 62, al-

ternating current is correspondingly increased,

the rectified current is similarly increased and the charge on condenser 80 rises in proportion. When this charge is sufiiciently high, the grid of tube 63 becomes positive with respect to the cathode thereof and plate current is drawn through relay coil 83.

The switch 85 may be adjusted to respond to any desired quantity of current fiow in the coil 83. Since the current flow in said coil is greatest for lower frequencies, the switch may be adjusted to respond only to the low frequencies commonly employed in the bass to mark the tempo of the music. The controlled apparatus then operates in time with the rhythmic sounds produced by bass instruments, strings or tympani. As sounds below 150 cycles per second are usually drum beats the switch may be adjusted to respond to drum beats alone.

As the grid potential of tube 63 is raised above that of the cathode, grid current is drawn and tends to discharge condenser 80. Within a certain range of rectifier current the alternate charging and discharging of the condenser results in a series of operations of the switch 84. With greater current in the rectifier circuit the discharge of the condenser is not sufiiciently rapid to produce such a series of operations.

By suitable adjustment the apparatus may then be adjusted to produce a series of brief actuations of the switch St in response to a sustained bass note in a given frequency range, for example, from to 500 cycles, and more positive and relatively longer actuations of the switch 84 in response to drum beats of lower frequency. The solenoids 4, like all electromagnets, have a certain time lag in their operation which may be increased or decreased by suitable design in a well known manner. They may thus respond to the briefer actuations of the series by less violent movements than to the more positive actuations of the drum beats. The result is a more or less continuous movement in time with sustained bass notes punctuated by more vigorous movements timed with the drum beats.

The solenoid 39 is actuated to move the control unit of Figs. 3 and a through one step of the ratchet wheel 23 each time the switch 84 is closed and then reopened. Said solenoid may be constructed by suitable design to give a complete operation only in response to sound impulses below 150 cycles. The lighting eifects controlled by said unit then progress through a predetermined cycle in time with the drum beats occurring in the music being reproduced. Other devices, such as scene shifting mechanism, may be operated by solenoid control from the control unit in timed relation with the operation of the lighting effects.

Referring now to Fig. 5 in which there is illustrated an alternative form of switch structure for use with the apparatus of Fig. 3, plate H9 and shaft I20 correspond to plate 19 and shaft 2% of Fig, 3. A cam wheel I55 of insulating material is secured to shaft I20 and engages electrical'switches I56 to open and close the same in timed relation to the rotation of said shaft. Each of the switches Hit is in circuit with one of a number of relay coils 151 as shown in Fig. 7 and said relay coils operate switches I58 in the circuits of lamps I59 or other suitable electric devices. Thussaid lamps may be lighted and extinguished in timed relation with the operation of solenoid 39 and may be located to give desired lighting effects to the stage I.

The invention has been described in its present preferred form. The details thereof may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. The combination with an electrical phonograph having an electrical circuit in which energy flow is in accordance with frequencies of musical tones reproduced by said phonograph, of electrical apparatus receiving energy from said circuit and selectively amplifying the same to emphasize bass frequencies in progressively increasing degree as said frequencies decrease, and electrically operated apparatus actuated by said amplified energy and adapted to produce a series of mechanical movements in response to a sustained bass note within a given frequency range and to produce a single mechanical movement of greater amplitude in response to a note of lower frequency.

2. The combination with an electrical phonograph having an electrical circuit in which energy flow is in accordance with frequencies of musical tones reproduced by said phonograph, of electrical apparatus receiving energy from said circuit and amplifying the same in progressively increasing degree as the frequencies thereof diminish, and electrically operated apparatus actuated by said amplified energy and adapted to produce a series of mechanical movements in response to a sustained note within a given frequency range and to produce a single mechanical movement of greater amplitude in response to a note of lower frequency.

3. Apparatus of the class described adapted for operation with an electronic phonograph, said apparatus including -a circuit receiving energy from a circuit of said phonograph, said energy being modulated in accordance with frequencies of the sounds being reproduced, a two-stage electronic amplifier receiving energy from said first mentioned circuit, an interstate filter having a rising characteristic below a predetermined frequency interposed between the stages of said amplifier, a rectifier circuit connected to the output circuit of said amplifier, current flow in said circuit being controlled by the volume of said output, a condenser and resistor in parallel in said rectifier circuit so adjusted as to charge said condenser above a predetermined potential only in response to the fiow of a predetermined current in said rectifier circuit, an electronic relay connected to said rectifier circuit and operating only when said condenser is charged above said predetermined potential, and means for producing mechanical movements operated by said relay.

4. Apparatus of the class described adapted for operation with an electronic phonograph, said apparatus including a circuit receiving energy from a circuit of said phonograph, said energy being modulated in accordance with frequencies of the sounds being reproduced, an amplifier selectively amplifying said energy to emphasize said relay.

frequencies below apredetermined frequency, a

rectifier circuit connected to the output circuit of said amplifier, current flow in said circuit being controlled by the volume of said output, a condenser and resistor in parallel in said rectifier circuit so adjusted as to charge said condenser above a predetermined potential only in response to the flow of a predetermined current in said rectifier circuit, an electronic relay connected to said rectifier circuit and operating only when said condenser is charged above said predetermined potential, and means for producing mechanical movements operated by said relay.

5. Apparatus of the class described adapted for operation with an electronic phonograph, said apparatus including a circuit receiving energy from a circuit of said phonograph, said energy being modulated in accordance with frequencies of the sounds being reproduced, an amplifier selectively amplifying said energy to emphasize frequencies below a predetermined frequency, a rectified circuit connected to the output circuit of said amplifier, current flow in said circuit being controlled by the'volume of said output, a condenser and resistor in parallel in said rectifier circuit so adjusted as to charge said condenser above a predetermined potential only in response to the fiow of a predetermined current in said rectifier circuit, an electronic relay con nected to said rectifier circuit and operating only when said condenser is charged above said predetermined potential, said relay operating to discharge said condenser at least partially at each operation thereof whereby a series of operations of said relay is produced in response to a sustained note below a given frequency, and means for producing mechanical movements operated by GERALD G. SMITH. 

